The three found another resting place, taking a much-needed breather—though, in this methane-filled catacomb, even breathing felt like a slow poison. The air was thick and suffocating, each inhale leaving a bitter taste on their tongues.
It was as if someone had once planned to set this place aflame but had abandoned the thought, leaving behind an eerie, volatile tomb for the unwary. The darkness was relentless, pressing in on them from all sides. It was a miracle they had managed to navigate through it without falling into the abyss or worse—encountering more of those creatures lurking in the void.
They had no real plan, no clear path, only the instinct that up was the right direction. The weight of the unknown pressed upon them, but stopping wasn't an option. Even as exhaustion seeped into their limbs, they pushed forward, step by careful step.
Belial reached out, his fingers grazing the rough stone of the catacomb walls as they pressed forward. The texture was uneven, worn down by time and something else—something unnatural. Then, his fingertips brushed against something smooth, rounded.
A hole.
No… two holes.
The realization hit him like a jolt of lightning. The shape was unmistakable, the indentations too deliberate. His breath caught in his throat as he traced the surrounding structure—elongated, ridged, hollow.
A skull.
Belial yanked his hand away, recoiling as a wave of revulsion crawled up his spine. His skin prickled, a shudder rippling through his entire body. The thought of having touched something so grotesque, so lifeless, sent a surge of unease through him.
"What is it?" Xin's voice was barely a whisper, laced with exhaustion and apprehension.
Belial swallowed hard, forcing the bile in his throat to settle. "Bones," he muttered. "Skulls embedded in the walls."
A moment of silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken horror. Raven exhaled through his nose, barely acknowledging the revelation. "Not surprising," he murmured. "This place reeks of death."
Belial steadied his breath, trying to shake the feeling of the cold, hollow sockets beneath his fingertips. The walls were not just stone—they were graves. A catacomb in the truest, most terrifying sense.
And they were entombed within it.
The thought sent a fresh wave of dread curling around his ribs, tightening like a vice. How many had perished down here? How long had these remains been resting in the silence, undisturbed until now? He didn't want to think about it.
They needed to keep moving. Staying in one place for too long would only invite whatever horrors lurked beyond the veil of darkness. He forced himself to push past the nausea, gripping his blade tighter.
They walked in silence, the oppressive darkness pressing against them like a living thing. Every step was carefully placed, every movement deliberate. Yet, through the near-pitch blackness of the catacombs, Xin found himself wondering—how was Raven moving in that heavy armor without making a sound?
Even without his hax, Xin's hearing was still sharper than most. It wasn't to the level of echolocation, but it was something—one of the few advantages he still had. The faintest disturbances in the air, the sound of shifting gravel, even the subtle change in breathing patterns—he could pick them up. And it was that very ability that had allowed them to travel this far undetected.
By counting his own heartbeats, he estimated they had been walking for about two hours. It felt longer. Time stretched in places like this, where no sunlight could mark its passage. He turned his gaze slightly toward Belial, whose hand was still clasped in his own. The contact was reassuring—proof that they weren't alone in this suffocating abyss.
Belial's breathing was labored, each inhale sharp, each exhale slow and controlled, as if he were fighting to keep it even. Xin could feel the tension in his grip, the way his fingers occasionally twitched, his body protesting against the stale, methane-laden air.
Xin, on the other hand, was faring better. He wasn't sure why. Was it the Dragonborn blood coursing through his veins? Or was it something else—something darker? His thoughts drifted to the grotesque experiments done to him, the horrors he had endured. He quickly shoved the memories aside, refusing to let them surface now.
This was neither the time nor the place.
Then, up ahead, a sound shattered the suffocating silence.
A deep, guttural snarl, followed by an explosion.
Xin and Belial immediately crouched, pressing themselves against the cold, uneven walls. Raven halted as well, his posture rigid as his gaze locked onto the source of the commotion.
Two creatures were locked in battle.
Their bodies were monstrous—serpentine limbs fused with jagged, armor-like plating. Their forms twisted and snapped at unnatural angles, each motion accompanied by a sickening crack. Their eyes glowed, eerie and pulsating, casting an unnatural light through the darkness. The confined space of the catacomb made their fight all the more violent, their massive forms barely contained by the crumbling walls around them.
Each strike, each vicious bite, triggered an explosion. Sparks ignited into massive explosions as their razor-like claws tore through the stone, and waves of raw energy erupted upon impact. The walls trembled, dust and debris raining down as if the entire structure would collapse at any moment. The ground beneath them quaked with every blow exchanged.
Xin held his breath. This wasn't just a fight—it was a war between forces far beyond human comprehension.
And they were trapped right in the middle of it.
Each of them knew that engaging in battle with those creatures would mean certain death.
They had already seen the remains of their fallen comrades—bodies torn apart, barely recognizable, strewn among the destruction caused by the creatures' violent clashes. The air reeked of burnt flesh and sulfur, a pungent reminder of how insignificant they were compared to the monstrosities before them.
The group had no choice but to navigate through the chaos, slipping between shattered stone and charred remains, using the wreckage as cover. The battlefield was unstable; every explosion sent rippling shockwaves through the tunnels, shaking the very foundation of the catacomb. Each deafening blast made their ears ring, their bodies tremble. And yet, they pressed on, their instincts screaming at them to keep moving.
Through the flickering light of the creatures' erratic bursts of energy, Xin spotted something—a doorway, partially concealed by a pile of rubble. It was difficult to see, but it was there. A possible escape.
"There! Through that passage!" Xin shouted over the thunderous battle.
They didn't hesitate.
With precise coordination, they sprinted toward the opening. Belial was the last to move, waiting until the timing was just right. As he pushed off, a shard of debris came hurtling toward him. He twisted his body mid-stride, but it wasn't enough—jagged stone scraped against his arm, cutting deep. A sharp pain flared through him, but he didn't stop. There was no time.
Blood dripped down his arm as he stumbled through the doorway, gasping for breath. Raven, already inside, turned back and grabbed him by the shoulder, dragging him the last few steps into safety.
They had made it.
The moment they entered the new chamber, the atmosphere shifted. The sounds of battle behind them became muffled, distant, as though they had stepped into an entirely different world.
The space they had entered was unlike the suffocating darkness of the tunnels before. The walls here were smoother, ancient carvings etched into their surfaces. And most notably—the flowers. They glowed in the dark, their luminescence casting a ghostly, soft blue hue over the area, giving them just enough visibility to make out their surroundings.
Xin exhaled, finally allowing himself a moment to breathe. "What… is this place?" he murmured, voice still shaky from the sprint.
Belial pressed a hand to his bleeding arm, wincing slightly. "No idea," he muttered, eyes scanning the unfamiliar space. His mind was still racing, adrenaline pumping through his veins, refusing to let him relax just yet.
Then, they saw it.
A shadowy figure stood motionless in the far end of the chamber, just beyond the reach of the glowing flowers. At first, Xin thought it might be another survivor. Another person.
But as his eyes adjusted to the dim glow, his stomach turned.
No.
It was too big to be human.
Its frame loomed unnaturally tall, its hunched posture grotesque and unnatural. The dim glow reflected off its skin—a rough, ridged texture like petrified flesh. Slowly, the figure shifted, its massive shoulders rolling as if it had just become aware of their presence.
It was another creature of the catacombs.
Xin swallowed hard, fingers twitching toward his weapon. Belial and Raven remained frozen, instincts battling between fight or flight.
The silence was deafening.
Then, it finally moved.